Bring Me To Life
by Kristie Goldberg
Summary: Post-Endgame. C/7 are living together. He comes to visit Kathryn and she realizes something is wrong with him. What is 7 doing to him and why? When they disappear, will they ever be seen again?
1. Chapter 1

Bring Me To Life Part 1 of 5

Author's note: This story is dedicated to "S" and her many personas for being so diligent with her pursuits. I'm also dedicated that next time it will be more than just "S"

Chakotay stood at the window looking out over the mountain range, a fog seemed to permeate his mind. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he never heard her say she was going out for the day. Not until he heard the door shut did he realize he was alone. Turning at the sound, he let out a sigh and strode to the replicator where he ordered tea.

Taking the tea he went back to the window and continued staring out. His mind was beginning to lift from the fog that had enwrapped it for the past four months. Perhaps once that happened, he would be able to go on a vision quest. That was something he had not been able to do since he got involved with her.

He wondered briefly when his….his what? lover, friend, wife….no not wife…would return. He was almost certain they had not married, he would have remembered. He knew that he needed to clear his head and he needed help doing it.

He decided that he needed to see Kathryn. Tossing the cup into the recycler, he headed for the nearest transport station. Once he got there, he got help looking up the coordinates closest to her home. The attendant transported him to Indiana.

Arriving at the station in Indiana, he asked for directions to her home. The attendant there was reluctant to give them to him at first but suddenly recognized the tattoo that Chakotay wore. The attendant had seen that tattoo often enough in the hundreds of news vids that were shown daily since Voyager's spectacular return.

It was a ten minute walk from the station to her house. It was a beautiful day in Indiana. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds dotting it here and there. The flowers were all in bloom, and the smells they emitted were wonderful. Birds were chirping' and there were bunnies running here and there. However, Chakotay didn't notice any of this. His mind was only on what he would say to Kathryn.

Arriving at Kathryn's door, his hand trembled as he rang the chime. Kathryn heard it right away and was shocked when she opened it. Standing before her was the one person she didn't expect to see again. Seven had told her that she and Chakotay would be going away as they both wanted a fresh start away from Voyager's crew.

"Chakotay, this is a surprise! Where is Seven? Oh! Forgive my manners, please come in." She was rushing her words and knew she needed to slow down, but she really didn't know what to say. She had just gotten out of the shower and had on just a robe, which she tied more tightly around her. She led him through the house and to the kitchen where the aroma of fresh baked caramel brownies and fresh brewed coffee filled the air.

"Have a seat. I'll make you some tea." She slid the brownies in front of him and went to make the tea.

"I have no clue why I am here, Kathryn. I just knew I had to come and talk to you." He couldn't seem to look her in the eyes. Kathryn was worried. This simply didn't sound like Chakotay who was always so sure of himself. What had happened?

"Where is Seven?"

"Seven?" he looked at her suddenly. "Seven….she is….she is visiting her aunt…somewhere…I think." He looked away and began to stare out the window not saying anything for several minutes. Finally, he stood. "Have to go…have a lot to do. Nice talking with you."

Kathryn put her hand on his arm. "Please, sit back down. You just got here. I want to ask you some questions."

"No, I…I have been here for hours….she will….she'll miss me. She'll be…angry. Need to go." He pulled his arm away from hers and headed through the house and out the door. Kathryn went after him, but he was too fast for her. Something was wrong, very wrong! She needed to get to the bottom of it.

She quickly dressed and headed for the transport station. She asked the attendant if he had recently transported a man with a tattoo on his forehead. When the attendant said he had, she asked to be transported to the same coordinates.

Rematerializing on a transporter pad, Kathryn looked up at the sign to find she had arrived in Denver, Colorado. The attendant there had not seen Chakotay as he had just come on duty. He called the attendant who had left duty, but that attendant didn't remember a man with a tattoo as he had transported several groups to various locations the last hour that he worked.

Kathryn decided to simply return home. She would call everyone she could think of calling. Surly someone would know where Chakotay and Seven were living. Entering the house, she first went to the replicator and ordered a cup of coffee as well as a carafe full as she knew she would need it.

Four hours later, Kathryn leaned wearily in her chair with her elbows on her desk. She had talked to everyone she could think of who might know their whereabouts. She had extracted promises from each that they would contact her if any of them heard from Chakotay or Seven. Since they had both walked away from Starfleet, no one there knew anything about them.

Finally Kathryn went upstairs and flopped across her bed. Sleep didn't come easy and when it did, she still continued to toss and turn.

Meanwhile back in Denver, Seven was waiting for Chakotay to get home.

He barely got through the door before she began yelling at him.

"Where have you been? I have been home for several hours already!"

Chakotay looked at her blankly. "I went to….to….I'm not sure. I took a transport. I…think I did. I am hungry."

"I will replicate you something then give you your medicine. Go take a shower! I'll want you after you eat, and I want you clean."

He headed to the shower like a dutiful child. She followed him in to make sure he didn't shower with his clothes on like he did the last time. Once he was in the shower, she returned to the kitchen to replicate him some food and to make his medicine. This time she had changed the formula a little, it should work better than the last batch.

Once she heard the shower shut off, she went in to help him dress. Once dressed in boxers and a tee shirt, he let her lead him to the kitchen. They sat at the table together.

"Soup? Do I like soup?"

"Yes, Chakotay, you like soup. Here take this first, it will make you feel better."

"Will it make me get it up tonight?"

"Yes, it will help with that as well."

"I would like that. I like when we do it, Seven." He stated.

Seven sighed. She hated sex, but knew that for a while longer she would have to deal with it. Someday, she would never have to do something so dreadful again, but now she needed to pretend that she loved it. She watched as he took the medicine and ate the soup.

"I made an appointment for you in two weeks for an interview. However, I am sure they would hire you based on your reputation alone. We need you feeling better by then. It is important that you make a good impression."

"I will do my best. Now can we have sex?"

"Of course," She rolled her eyes as she helped him from the chair.

Later when Chakotay was sleeping, Seven silently got up. She went into the other room for a few minutes. Returning, she placed a hypo spray against Chakotay's neck and pressed. She had a lot to do during the next two weeks. She felt confident that she would be successful by then!


	2. Chapter 2

Bring Me To Life Chapter 2

It had been nearly four months since Kathryn had last seen Chakotay. No one had seen him or Seven. She wondered if they had left the planet on a private transport. Occasionally she would even wonder if she had imagined his visit to her, as it had been so strange.

One night she just couldn't seem to get him out of her mind. She decided to take a vision quest which was something she hadn't done for some time. Retrieving her medicine bundle from a drawer, she took it to the study and sat cross-legged on the floor.

She opened the bundle carefully and took out the items she had collected. There was a stone from the river on New Earth. Turning it over she saw the picture of Chakotay's tattoo which she had him engrave for her. Next was a dried peace rose he had given her after the incident with the alien who pretended to be her father. Gently she picked up a wooden hair clip that Chakotay had made for her. She held it to her lips and briefly kissed it before laying it with the others. Picking up the picture of the two of them that the doctor had given her, she noticed yet again how happy they had seemed together. Last of all, she moved the akoona in place. Briefly, she realized that her most prized possessions all centered around Chakotay. As a tear slowly made its way down her cheek, she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Placing her hand on the akoona, she began to say the age old words, "A-koo-chee-moya….." She felt the heat on her face as she opened her eyes. Looking around slowly, she saw barren wasteland. Lying about five feet in front of her was a white wolf stretched out on the ground, next to the wolf was a salamander looking up at her.

She knelt down getting as close to the salamander as she could.

"I am looking for..."

"We know why you are here, sister. You must find him before it is too late." The salamander gestured toward the wolf, "He is dying. You must save him."

"I want to save him, but I can't find him. No one seems to know where he is. He seems to have simply disappeared."

"SHE is the cause of this." Again the salamander gestured toward the wolf. "You must look harder. You know where he is likely to be. You know what he likes to do. You know him better than anyone. Find him before it is too late."

Suddenly Kathryn found herself back in the study and was as confused as ever. Walking over to the window, she stared out at the stars looking for her answer as she had so many times on Voyager.

What had the salamander meant? She needed to think. She knew for fact that Chakotay had not returned to Dorvan, but where else would he go? She spent most of the night standing at the window before finally going to bed. She had to be at work early the next morning. Even in bed, she slept fitfully and kept having strange dreams about Chakotay.

After being promoted to Admiral, she had taken a desk job at Starfleet. She really didn't care for the job or the title. It had been something she had always dreamed about, but now it simply didn't mean anything without Chakotay at her side. The day went by slowly.

Later, she dressed slowly in a multi-colored fall outfit of beautiful earth tones not looking forward to the evening. She was having dinner with Admiral Lloyd who was one of the most boring Admirals she knew. He wanted to discuss a new project that he was trying to get off the ground and wanted her input. As he had been a friend of her fathers, she didn't have the heart to turn him down.

Looking at the clock, she knew she would have to hurry. She was meeting him at the restaurant in an hour. John Lloyd was a stickler about being on time. She didn't want to have to listen to him berate her for any lateness. Taking a quick look in the mirror, she was pleased with her appearance. Now back in the Alpha Quadrant, all the worry lines had disappeared. In fact, without all the stress of the Delta Quadrant, she looked much younger that her age.

The transport went fine, and she arrived at the restaurant ahead of John. She was glad that she was the first to arrive. Looking around she took a seat in the entry to wait for him, her eyes fell on the next party to enter. It was Mark Johnson and his wife Carol along with a couple she didn't recognize. Carol saw her immediately and walked over to her.

Upon returning Kathryn had met Carol and really liked her as she was the perfect person for Mark. She had eaten dinner at their home a couple of times and had invited them out to dinner as well.

When Mark saw who Carol was talking to, he brought their friends over to meet her. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. He introduced their friends as Dr. and Mrs. Paul Ryder. Paul was head of the Ryder Foundation which was famous throughout the galaxy for its archeological finds.

"Admiral Janeway, I am happy to meet you. Mark and Carol have spoken of you often. In fact, I have someone from your crew working for me on a dig in South America…Dr. Chakotay."

Kathryn stood there momentarily in shock. She knew that Chakotay had earned the degrees that entitled him to be called Doctor; she had just never heard him called that before. "Chakotay is in South America?"

"Yes, in Peru. He is on a new Incan dig. In the past much of our digs have been centered around Machu Picchu, the so called "lost city of the Incas". Then we did a dig near there at Chinchero. Chinchero is where in the sixteenth century, Emperor Tupa Inca built his country estate, a palace, temple, ceremonial spaces, terraces and royal storehouses. Now we are digging past there at a new site, Sentiao. We have discovered many unknown artifacts. Dr. Chakotay is head of our team there. He's an outstanding archeologist."

Kathryn had several questions to ask, but she saw Admiral Lloyd enter the restaurant. She asked Dr. Ryder if she could give him a call the next day. He gladly gave her his number.

The more Admiral Lloyd talked the more Kathryn's mind wandered. She just wanted to get out of there and get home so she could look up information about the digs. Somehow, she got through the dinner and Admiral Lloyd's hand on her leg without breaking his neck. She smiled brightly as she left him and told him she would think over his proposition.

As soon as she arrived home, she accessed all the information she could find on the Ryder Foundation and their digs. She found the information amazing. Finally, she fell asleep at the computer.

Waking the next morning with a stiff neck, she stood and stretched before walking to the replicator for another cup of coffee. As she drank the coffee, she looked at the time. Deciding that B'Elanna would be up, Kathryn placed a call to her.

A tired looking face appeared on the vid screen yawning.

"Morning, B'Elanna! I found him!"

"Found who?…..Oh, you found him!" Her eyes opened widely. "Where? When? How is he?" She was all excited!

"He is in South America on a dig. I ran into Dr. Ryder head of the Ryder Foundation. He told me Chakotay was working with him on the dig."

"Did he mention Seven?"

"No, he didn't, and I couldn't ask, not enough time. I will give Ryder a call later this morning. I intend to go to South America and see for myself that he is alright. I have reason to believe otherwise."

"If you go, I want to go as well!"

"Ok, and maybe we should take along Tom and perhaps Ayala. Just in case we have a problem."

"Problem? What kind of a problem?"

"Hopefully, none, but my gut tells me otherwise."

"Your gut? Maybe you're just hungry. After you talk with Ryder, call me and let me know what is going on. Promise? Next time you are over, I have something to show you. We don't know quite what to make of it."

"I will call as soon as I talk with him. I promise!" Shutting off the screen, Kathryn carried her coffee up the stairs. She needed to shower and get dressed. Thankfully she had the day off. She would not have been able to work anyway.

Later after talking with Dr. Ryder, she called B'Elanna to let her know that she would be over to see them. She asked B'Elanna to contact Ayala to be there as well. B'Elanna asked her to come for dinner and bring clothes to spend the night with them. She would ask Ayala to do the same.

Kathryn was able to transport within a couple of blocks from the Paris' home. As she started to walk out of the transporter station she heard someone calling her. Looking around she saw Ayala coming toward her. He had just transported there as well. They walked together to the house catching up on the past few months. Ayala was living with Susan Nicoletti, but Susan was visiting her ill grandmother in Rome.

"You seem to be quite taken with the lovely Susan."

"Yes, I am. I have never known anyone quite like her, Admiral. She is special. When she gets back from Rome, I am going to ask her to marry me. If she consents, will you marry us?"

"I would be honored. And, believe me, Susan would be foolish to let someone like you get away!" She laughed. "I can just imagine your kids! They would really be something!"

As they stepped up onto the Paris' porch, the door flew open and out flew two year old Miral. "Auntie Katie, Uncle Mike!" She charged at them, Mike swiftly caught her and lifted her over his head as she squealed in delight.

Tom came to the door to see what was going on and ushered them in while calling out to B'Elanna that they had arrived. They all settled in the dining room while B'Elanna served them dinner. They caught up on all the gossip about the crew.

"Megan told me Jenny and Chell are expecting twins. Jenny will have her hands full between two babies and Chell!"

"Chell stopped by my office a couple of days ago and didn't say anything about it. Did you know that he is thinking about opening a restaurant in Santa Fe, a combination of Delta Quadrant delicacies and hot spicy Mexican food!"

"Neelix would have loved it! Can't you see the two of them in business together?" Laughed Mike. "I could set up an anti-acid booth next to the restaurant and make a fortune!"

"Tom and I got a call from Harry the other day. He and Celes are doing fine. He said that meeting her family was frightening, but he now really likes them. They will be back here next month and will look for housing in this area."

They continued talking about other things except what was foremost on their minds. Once Miral was safely tucked in bed for the night, they took their drinks and headed into the den where they would be more comfortable.

"Before we begin talking, Tom and I want to show you something we found embedded in our computer a couple of days ago. It was sent before Chakotay and Seven disappeared, but Chakotay either didn't send it correctly or intentionally wanted us to receive it later." She motioned for them to gather around the vid screen. As she turned it on, they immediately saw Chakotay's face on the screen.

They watched as he sat there a minute or two looking confused. Finally he began to slowly speak. "Be, I want...I want you to know...she'll be back soon...suppose to be sleeping...couldn't do it...I need to talk...maybe if I go...maybe if I see Kathryn...I love her...she is...other half of my soul...I have...Seven...don't love...the medicine she gives me...I ...contact you soon. Kathryn..."

"What do you two make of it? B'Elanna and I thought he was drunk at first, now we aren't sure."

"Chak doesn't drink like that. It sounded like he was drugged to me. What do you think, Kathryn?"

"I have never seen Chakotay drunk before. He always told me that he stays away from the stuff. I agree, I think he acted drugged. Why would Seven drug him? They are together. She has a wonderful man at her side. I am certain he would do anything for her. Why drug?

Now, I have told all of you before about my vision quest. My spirit guide told me Chakotay is dying. Perhaps she didn't mean physically, perhaps his spirit is dying. He certainly didn't have much spirit in that transmission nor much when he came to see me. In fact, he acted and sounded in person much the same as in that transmission.

"I think we need to go there. If Seven is behind it, she is not going to want us to see him. Surprise is our best option, just show up." Mike said as he looked at each of them.

"I can get Tom's mom to watch Miral. When do you want to leave?"

"How about in three days? I will need to let HQ know that I will be out of town for awhile, and I will get a shuttle for us. Will that work for the three of you?"

They agreed that three days would be fine. Kathryn asked to borrow the clip of Chakotay as she wanted the doctor to take a look at it. Perhaps he could tell her more. Finally around 0200 they headed for bed. Mike stayed over as well.

The next morning Kathryn and Mike walked to the transporter station after eating the big breakfast B'Elanna had made. Kathryn had brought a uniform as she was going directly to headquarters. She had several things she needed to get done that day. Mentally, she made a list of what to do and the order she needed to do it in while they walked. Once they reached the transporter station they parted ways.

Arriving at Headquarters, Kathryn immediately let Owen know that she would be taking a few days off. He already knew as his wife had called with the news that they would be watching Miral. He was delighted and informed Kathryn that they should take all the time they needed as Miral would be in good hands.

Next, Kathryn called Mark as his company had an array of shuttles. He graciously agreed to let her and her friends use one. He just extracted a promise from her to come to dinner at their house soon. She readily agreed as she enjoyed her visits there.

After taking care of a few other things, Kathryn made her way to Starfleet Medical where her favorite doctor worked. He was delighted to see her. For the first few minutes they caught up on gossip.

"Admiral, it isn't often that you seek me out. And, I know for one that you didn't come here for a physical. Heaven forbid you wouldn't do it on Voyager, why should you do it now?"

"You're right!" Kathryn laughed. "But, I do need your help. I want you to take a look at a clip that I have. I need you to give me your honest opinion of it."

"Certainly", He held out his hand for the clip. When she handed it to him, he placed it in the computer and began playing it. He never spoke while it played. Afterward, he sat for several minutes without speaking. Kathryn was just going to speak to him when he finally spoke.

"He has been drugged. It appears to be affecting his memory." Looking Kathryn directly in the eyes, "I can't believe Seven would do this. There has to be a reason for it. When was this recorded?"

Kathryn filled him in on the whole story. When she was finished, he asked if he could go with them to see Chakotay and Seven. Kathryn agreed and told him when and where to meet them.

The five 'rescuers' met in the shuttle bay of Mark's company. They were eager to go. It would be a short trip, but they didn't know exactly what they would find. They each brought additional supplies in case they were delayed for what ever reason.


	3. Chapter 3

Bring Me To Life Chapter 3

The shuttle ride was uneventful as they chatted back and forth. Tom sat the shuttle down near Chinchero by the site that had already been thoroughly investigated. A small village was there. Kathryn was told that the archeology group worked out of there. They traveled by a type of old fashioned jeep back and forth between Chinchero and the new dig at Sentiao.

They walked around the village and talked to several of the residents. They were told that the archeologists would be back the next day which was Saturday. On Saturday, they worked a half day and then they rested in Chinchero until Monday morning when they again headed to Sentiao. Several of the residents made comments as to how nice the archeologists were especially their leader, Dr. Chakotay. A couple of them did mention their dislike for the blond woman that he had with him. Hearing this, Kathryn grinned and winked at B"Elanna. They both could understand that dislike.

The group ate their evening meal in the village before returning to the shuttle to spend the night. Rather than going right into the shuttle, Tom and Mike built a small campfire outside the shuttle. They sat on logs around the campfire for some time talking about the interesting things they saw in the village. They all agreed that the people were a delight, very friendly and open. Their life style was much slower paced that what the Starfleet people were use to. Finally, Mike put out the fire and they entered the shuttle where they turned in for the night. The next day would be a busy day for them.

Kathryn had a hard time sleeping. She slept fitfully, her dreams full of Chakotay. There was her and Chakotay on New Earth, her and Chakotay in the holodeck sailing on Lake George, her and Chakotay on shore leave together. But, the dream that kept waking her was of Chakotay standing before her almost transparent, calling to her to bring him to life. Over and over, he would say, "Kathryn, please bring me to life, please!" She would wake soaked in sweat with her heart pounding. After about the fifth time, she decided to stay awake. She took her blanket and quietly made her way to the front of the shuttle, thinking she would spend the rest of the night sitting in the pilot's seat.

She was surprised when she got there and B'Elanna was already sitting in the pilot's seat.

"Couldn't sleep either, could you?"

"No," B'Elanna handed Kathryn a mug and a thermos. "Help yourself."

As they sat and talked, Kathryn told B'Elanna about the dreams she had been having. They continued talking until the guys finally got up. Mike made breakfast for everyone, which was exceptionally good.

After breakfast they waited around until noon just checking out the shuttle. Finally they headed back into the village figuring they would not have long to wait until the archeology group arrived for their time off. They went to the café which had tables outside and ordered drinks. Sitting on the patio, they patiently waited.

Less than an hour later, several jeeps pulled into the village. The group sitting on the patio quickly recognized which jeep held Chakotay and Seven. They pulled up to the café and got out. Walking onto the patio, they stopped in their tracks as they saw the group.

Chakotay began to grin. Seven looked shocked and something else that Kathryn took for anger. They walked over to the group.

"Captain, or should I say Admiral? What are you five doing here?" Chakotay nodded to the others as he sat in a chair. Seven sat as well. She had not spoken to any of them.

"We hadn't heard from you and were wondering what you were up to, Chakotay."

"We're digging out a ways."

"I remember how much you always talked about archeology when we were in the Maquis together!" laughed B'Elanna.

Ayala was laughing too, "I remember that!"

Chakotay looked from one to another. "You must be mistaken. I was never a Maquis." He then looked at Kathryn. "Where did they get an idea like that?" Kathryn just shrugged her shoulders and began asking about his work while giving the others strange looks. As he talked, she excused herself and asked to speak with Seven. Seven stood reluctantly and followed her.

"Seven, what is wrong with him?"

"He had a fall recently and has lost some of his memory. The doctor he is seeing in Mexico City assured us it would come back in time. Your being here has caused problems. I would suggest that you and your group leave as soon as possible. He needs to regain his memories on his own." Saying that she walked back to the table.

"Chakotay, it is time for us to leave." He got up and followed her without saying a word as the others sat there staring after them.

B'Elanna was the first to speak, "What was that all about?"

Kathryn just shook her head and looked towar the Doc.

"I took some medical tricorder readings of Chakotay while he was here. I need to get back to the shuttle so that I can down load them in the computer and study the results. At the moment, I don't know what is wrong with him, but there is some thing definitely wrong." the Doc said as he shook his head sadly.

Kathryn proceeded to tell them what Seven had said to her. They gathered their things and headed back to the shuttle. For the next several hours the doctor, Kathryn and B'Elanna went over and over the readings that the doctor had gotten.

When they finished, they called the others to a conference. The doctor spoke first.

"I wish I had been able to examine Chakotaymore thoroughly. There issomething wrong with his cerebral vortex, but it wasn't from a fall. His brain patterns have been changed. I would say from nanoprobes in addition to some drug or drugs have been given.

"Nanoprobes….Seven!" Tom looked at each wide-eyed. "But, why?"

"That is something only she can answer. I think we need to get him back to Starfleet Medical. I'm worried that she already thinks we are up to something and may do something drastic." Kathryn spoke more softly, "I think she has erased his memories completely of the Maquis and who knows what else."

"We could kidnap him," Ayala said. They all looked at him. "Well, do you think he would go with us willingly or that she would let him?"

They sat for some time making a plan.

The next morning they headed into the village. Once there, they split up, but not before agreeing to meet back at the cafe in half an hour. Between them they would be scouting the entire village looking for where Seven and Chakotay was staying.

Ayala was the last one back to the cafe. The others were drinking iced coffee and had a glass waiting for him.

"Bad news. I found where they were staying. But, they cleared out early this morning. The lady who rents them the room said that Seven told her they had important business in Mexico City, and they were headed there. She let me look around the room. I found theses." Ayala took out several small items from his pocket and laid them on the table.

Two of the items were empty vials and the third vial had about a cc of liquid in it. The doctor took them carefully and held them up. "We need to get back to the shuttle so that I can analyze these." They returned immediately to the shuttle.

Once there it didn't take the doctor long to run them through the computer. The others sat at a table and waited for the results. When finished, he walked to the table and sat the vials down.

Looking around, he began talking, "The vial with the small amount in it is a highly concentrated liquid that can be given to erase memory. The other two vials are variations of the same liquid. It looks as though Seven has been trying out different amounts to find something that works well. If this is given over a long enough time, not only will it completely erase Chakotay's memory, but it will kill him. We need to find them and find them soon!"

"They have had a head start, but they are in a jeep. These jungle roads aren't the best I have ever seen. Using the shuttle and making circular paths, we might have a chance of finding them. Any other suggestions?" Kathryn asked as she rose from the table.

No one had a better suggestion. They got ready to leave. Kathryn and Tom worked on a flight plan as the others put everything away. Soon they were in the air. They were scanning ahead of them for a landing place as they wanted to try to surprise Seven if they could.


	4. Chapter 4

Bring Me To Life Part 4

They flew in the circular paths gradually widening them. About two hours later, B'Elanna cried out, "I think I've found him. Kathryn, come and check this out."

Kathryn nearly ran to the scanner. It took some minutes of focusing and refocusing before they decided that indeed the bleeps on the scanner were Seven and Chakotay. They were moving slowly in their jeep.

Kathryn chose a spot some distance ahead of the jeep. They would land the shuttle across the road just around a bend. Seven wouldn't see the shuttle until she was almost on it. They would be waiting in the undergrowth for them. Their plan was to grab Chakotay and leave Seven there. They needed to get him back to Starfleet Medical as soon as possible.

Tom stayed in the shuttle ready for a quick takeoff. The others had just gotten out of the shuttle and into place when they heard the old jeep close by. They wouldn't have long to wait. Crouching down so they wouldn't be seen, they watched as it rounded the bend. Seven slammed on the brakes and jumped out hanging onto Chakotay.

She looked around as the others stepped out of their hiding places. Kathryn walked toward her.

"Seven, you know what we want!"

"Never! He is my property!" She spat

"No, Seven, humans are individuals, they are not property. We need to take him to Starfleet where they can take care of him, he is dying."

"You lie!"

The Doctor stepped forward, "No, she is not lying. What ever you did to his brain is having a bad effect on him. He will not live much longer."

"Seven" Kathryn inched forward, "If you truly love him, you will let him go."

"I don't love him. I simply don't want you to have him. All he ever talked about was you. We would have sex, and it would be your name he would call out! I had to make him forget you!"

Chakotay stood quietly next to Seven and stared at Kathryn. Was what Seven and Kathryn saying true? Was Seven doing something to him? Was that why he was having headaches so often? And, at night, his dreams were wild bits and pieces often with glimpses of Kathryn. Had he been in love with her? He tried to move away, but Seven grabbed his arm in a vice like grip, and he saw a phaser in her other hand. Where had she gotten that? He was so confused, if only his head would quit hurting!

Noticing that Seven now held a phaser, Kathryn didn't move any closer.

"Seven, put the phaser down. What good will it do? There are too many of us. You can come to Starfleet Medical with us and see for yourself the doctors' tests. Chakotay should be able to make his own choices."

Tom, seeing from the shuttle that not all was going well, left the shuttle and began to creep slowly toward Seven and Chakotay. He was afraid of making noise. Suddenly a twig cracked, and Seven swung around and fired at Tom who fell to the ground. Chakotay grabbed Seven's hand and was trying to take the phaser away. It went off hitting Kathryn in the chest. Seven pulled away from Chakotay.

She aimed the phaser at Chakotay, but suddenly looked up at the doctor with tears in her eyes. Very calmly she put the phaser to her own head and fired.

Lucky for Tom, the shot had just grazed his shoulder. He managed to get up as B'Elanna ran to him. The doctor checked Kathryn and found her alive but critical. Chakotay had her in his arms stroking her face. Seven was dead. Ayala and Chakotay carried Kathryn into the shuttle while the doctor carried Seven's body. B'Elanna helped Tom to get back in the shuttle.

When they were safely inside the shuttle, Ayala took over the controls and they lifted off headed to Starfleet Medical. Once B'Elanna ran the regenerator over Tom's shoulder, he was able to help the doctor stabilize Kathryn. Chakotay sat huddled in a corner watching every move.

Ayala was finally able to contact Starfleet Medical and they transported the doctor, Kathryn and Chakotay to their facilities. The rest would be there later.

Tom, B'Elanna and Mike finally arrived at the facility only to be told they would need to wait in the waiting area. The doctor was still in surgery. While waiting, B'Elanna checked on Miral and got food for the three of them. However, they ate little as their concern continued to grow.

Finally the doctor came into the room and approached them. He was smiling. The three let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Most of the news is good. I have found a way to cure Chakotay. It will be slow and will have to be done in stages. Seven had spent a lot of time on trial and error. The error part is what did the most damage to his system.

As far as the Admiral goes, I repaired everything that I could. She is in a coma which is good and bad. While her body needs this time to heal and mend itself, we won't know if there is any lasting damage until she wakes. I don't want to wake her up. It is important that we keep an eye on her and let her wake up on her own.

Now, you three look like you could each use a shower and some sleep." He walked over to the replicator and gave some commands. Picking up what he had replicated, he turned to them.

"Here is each of you a hypo. Go home. Take that shower and use these. You will sleep like a baby for at least twelve hours. I will be here watching over those two."

As they turned to leave Tom turned back, "Doc, I…I'm sorry about Seven. I know she was special to you."

"Thank you Tom. I feel we left the real Seven somewhere out there in the Delta Quadrant. The Seven that was here on Earth was not the real one." He shook his head sadly and went through the other door to look in on Chakotay.


	5. Chapter 5

Bring Me To Life Part 5

Three weeks later, the doctor declared Chakotay well enough to be on his own. He was going to stay with Tom and B'Elanna for awhile. He needed time to think about his future. He visited Kathryn in the hospital each day. He never stayed long as he was going on job interviews.

One night after he came back to the Paris' home, he decided to go on a vision quest. It had been a long time since he had last been on one. Getting his medicine bundle, he gently untied it as he sat on the floor. Spreading the items out, he soon found himself in the spirit world.

Lying at the edge of the shade of a huge oak tree lay the white wolf. Next to it in the shade was a small salamander. The wolf was keeping a close eye on it. The salamander wasn't moving much. It was several minutes before Chakotay realized it was actually alive.

"Brother, what brings you here? It has been along time since your last visit here."

"I lost my way for awhile, but now I am back."

"She brought you to life. Now you must bring her to life. She needs you." Gently the wolf reached over and with its long tongue licked the salamander. "She will be alright in time, but she will need you to show her the way to come back."

Everything suddenly faded and Chakotay found himself again sitting on the floor. He was elated as he knew what he had to do. He began spending more time at the hospital. Instead of sitting in the chair, he sat on Kathryn's bed holding her hand. He talked to her constantly about anything and everything.

He spent a great deal of time talking about how much he was in love with her during their time in the Delta Quadrant. He spoke of how he had given up hope thst she would ever return his love. Sadly, he talked of Seven and how they had gotten together. He told her he was trying to break up with Seven when things began to change and he began to forget about his love for Kathryn among other things. He admitted that was when the headaches began.

He told her of the dreams he had of her and him during that time. Even then deep down he felt that Kathryn was the one who could save him from whatever possessed him and could bring him back to life. He promised her that if she would wake, he would take care of her the rest of their lives if she so desired.

One day about three weeks after Kathryn had been shot, Chakotay was late getting to the hospital. Finally arriving he went straight to her room. As he walked in, he saw the doctor sitting on the bed talking to a very awake Kathryn. They both turned and looked at him. Kathryn smiled that incredibly crooked smile he loved so much. In that moment he knew his Kathryn was back. Now all he had to do was convince her of his love for her.

The doctor stood and on his way out of the room winked at Chakotay, "She's all yours, Chakotay. Already wants to go home! Admirals are as much of a pain as Captains!"

Both Chakotay and Kathryn laughed. He moved over and sat on the edge of her bed. Grinning broadly he allowed his dimples to show. He reached out and took her hand.

"I'm glad you decided to rejoin the living! How are you?"

"I feel great. I…Chakotay….I heard you… sitting here talking…I heard you. I wanted to tell you everything would be alright. I finally realized that you never really stopped loving me. She tried to change you, but she couldn't completely do it without destroying you."

"I don't know what is ahead for us, Kathryn. But, I want to be beside you to find out."

"I would like that. We deserve a chance after all we have been through."

"And, someday if it works out, I would love to have several little Kathryns running around." He grinned that grin that made her heart melt.

"I would like that, too."

He bent down and gently kissed her on the lips.

As they looked into each others eyes, they spoke at the same time, "Someday soon!"


End file.
